06. haskell type builder

Type-Builder

Sebastian Rettig

In Haskell normally you understand aa function by reading
In Haskell normally you understand function by reading
Function Name ++ Parameter Types++Result Type.
Function Name Parameter Types Result Type.

Functional Programming
● No Variables
● Functions only, eventually stored in
Modules
– Behavior do not change, once defined
– → Function called with same parameter
calculates always the same result
● Function definitions (Match Cases)
● Recursion (Memory)

Haskell Features
● Pure Functional Programming Language
● Lazy Evaluation
● Pattern Matching and Guards
● List Comprehension
● Type Polymorphism

Static Type System

● type of every expression is known at
compile time
– use operation with not compatible types
– → program won't compile
– → saver code

Nice to remember (1)
● Types:
– starts with uppercase letter
– e.g.:
● Bool
● Int
● String
● [Int]
● (Bool, Char)
● Integer

● Typevariables
– to define generic types
– e.g.:
● maxList :: [a] -> a
● fst :: (a,b) -> a
● snd :: (a,b) -> b
– Typevariables a and b can contain every
type (including the same type)

● GHCi Commands (Interpreter):
– :t ← returns the function header (type)
– :t tail
tail :: [a] -> [a]
– :t 2 == 4
2 == 4 :: Bool
– :t "HELLO!"
"HELLO!" :: [Char]
– :i ← returns the function definition (interface)
– :i tail
tail :: [a] -> [a] --
Defined in GHC.List

Type Polymorphism (1)
● Statically typed, but Compiler can read type from
context (type inference)
● → no need to set type explicitly (but preferred!)
● → makes function more generic for different
kinds of types (type polymorphism)
– Why should I use quicksort :: [Int] -> [Int]
– even if I also want to sort character?
Hugs> quicksort ['f','a','d','b']
"abdf"

● the header could be
fact :: Int -> Int
maxList :: [Int] -> Int
● but is only limited to Int, but maxList could also
handle Char
● → why not make it generic?
maxList :: [a] -> a
● but what happens, if the corresponding Type is not
comparable or cannot be ordered?

● Solution: use Typeclasses
maxList :: (Ord a) => [a] -> a
● then we can be sure to use (<,<=, ==, /=, >=, >)
● function header can contain multiple typeclasses
maxList :: (Ord a, Eq b) => [a] -> [b] -> a
● In Haskell-Interpreter: to list the function header
:t <function_name>

Typeclasses (1)
● define properties of the types
● like an interface
● Typeclasses:
– Eq can be compared
– Ord can be ordered (>, <, >=, <=) (extending Eq)
– Show can be shown as string
– Read opposite of Show
– Enum sequentially ordered types (can be enumerated
and usable in List-Ranges ['a'..'e'])

Typeclasses (2)
● Typeclasses:
– Bounded upper/lower bound (minBound, maxBound)
– Num types behave like numbers (must already be Show, Eq)
– Integral contains only integrals (subclass of Num)
– Floating corresponding real numbers (subclass of Num)
● if all Types of tuple are in same Typeclass → Tuple also in
Typeclass

Let's build own types
● first look how existing types are defined:
– data Bool = False | True
●
data keyword is used to define a type
●
Bool is the type
● okay, let's define one, e.g.:
– data TrafficLight = Red | Yellow | Green

Value Constructors (1)
● or a more complex one, e.g.:
– data Shape =
Circle Float Float Float |
Rectangle Float Float Float Float
●
Circle and Rectangle are Value Constructors
● can contain types which holds the specific
values
●
Question: What is Red, Yellow, Green in
– data TrafficLight = Red | Yellow | Green
?

Value Constructors (2)
● Value Constructors are just functions which:
– get parameters of a specific type
– and returns the defined type
●
→ you can do: :t Circle
Circle :: Float -> Float -> Float -> Shape
● to look at the Type definition , you can use:
:i Shape
●
Question: What is the result of: :t Red in
data TrafficLight = Red | Yellow | Green

?

Let's use our type
● e.g.: calculate the surface of a Shape
surface :: Shape -> Float
surface (Circle _ _ r) = pi * r ^ 2
surface (Rectangle x1 y1 x2 y2) =
(abs $ x2 - x1) * (abs $ y2 - y1)
●
→ and call it:
Main> surface (Circle 1 2 3)
28.274334
● sometimes the parenthesis are annoying
→ better readability with $
surface $ Circle 1 2 3

Type Handling
● Why not just use (Float, Float, Float)?
– can define everything (e.g.: vector) → no context
– needs two functions, one for Circle and one for
Rectangle
● in Haskell normally you understand a function by
reading
– function name + parameter types + result type
● → you should write explicitly the function header
● → except for really small functions

Another Function
● e.g.: move left a Shape
moveLeft :: Shape -> Float -> Shape
moveLeft (Circle x y r) m = (Circle (x-m) y r)
moveLeft (Rectangle x1 y1 x2 y2) m =
(Rectangle (x1-m) y1 (x2-m) y2)
●
→ and call it:
Main> moveLeft (Circle 1 2 3) 2
No instance for (Show Shape)
arising from a use of `print'
Possible fix: add an instance declaration
for (Show Shape)
In a stmt of an interactive GHCi command:
print it

Membership of a Typeclass
● What happens?
– GHCi want's to print out (String) the result
– the Typeclass Show converts a type to String
● → Type must be part of the Typeclass Show
● two ways to solve this:
– inherit from existing implementation of types
you use
– implement the specific typeclass functions by
yourself

Inherit Membership (1)
● If used types are already member of the Typeclass
– Haskell use the implementation of this types to
print the specific values
– Value Constructor can generally be printed out
– you only need to derive from the
Implementation

● first check if Float has already a membership:
data Float = GHC.Types.F# GHC.Prim.Float# --
Defined in GHC.Types
…
instance Show Float -- Defined in GHC.Float
…
● okay, then we can use the deriving keyword
data Shape =
deriving (Show)
● and call again: moveLeft (Circle 1 2 3) 2
Circle (-1.0) 2.0 3.0

● Float has also membership of Typeclass Ord:
instance Ord Float -- Defined in GHC.Classes
instance Eq Float -- Defined in GHC.Classes
● we can also derive from Ord but also from Eq
data Shape =
deriving (Show, Eq, Ord)
● and we can use: maxList :: (Ord a) => [a] -> a
maxList [(Circle 1 2 3), (Circle 2 3 4)]
– returns: Circle 2.0 3.0 4.0

● to check our new Typeclass memberships:
data Shape = Circle Float Float Float |
-- Defined at type.hs:3:6-10
instance Eq Shape -- Defined at type.hs:3:91-92
instance Ord Shape -- Defined at type.hs:3:95-97
instance Show Shape -- Defined at type.hs:3:85-88

Implement Membership

Next Session :)

Sources
[1] Haskell-Tutorial: Learn you a Haskell (http://learnyouahaskell.com/,
2012/03/15)
[2] The Hugs User-Manual (
http://cvs.haskell.org/Hugs/pages/hugsman/index.html, 2012/03/15)
[3] The Haskellwiki (http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki, 2012/03/15)

06. haskell type builder

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